Aida Turturro

Best known For Sopranos TV Series, also nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win and 5 other nominations but best known for her role as Tony Soprano’s big sister Janice on HBO’s hit TV series The Sopranos, Aida Turturro is a woman of admirable strength and versatility both on-screen and off.
Besides acting, Aida Turturro has spoken out on a health issues that is very close to her: diabetes Type 2.
One day, my new doctor said, “Aida, do you know what can happen if you continue to live with these high blood sugars?”
In the year 2000-2001 she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Told by her doctor that she needed to watch her diet and take oral medication.
Aida has to say about managing diabetes:
About five years ago it came up in a checkup that I had high sugar in my blood. My doctor put me on an oral medication, but I was basically in denial. So I found out I had diabetes and I got really upset, and then I basically forgot about it. I didn’t read about diabetes or study it. I guess I just didn’t realize what it meant or what risks it brought.
It was a difficult time for me. Some of my family members were ill and I just wasn’t focused on taking care of myself. I wish I’d gone right away to the Internet, read a bunch of books, gotten on a diet and lost 30 pounds, but I didn’t. I’ve found there are many people with diabetes who do not take care of themselves.
I started taking Lantus and got a new doctor and actually learned what an A1C was (test measures your average blood glucose). Do you know how many people are diabetic and don’t know what A1C is? Or they get the results from the doctor and don’t know what they mean, they don’t understand the correlation between a high A1C and complications. People need to go to the doctor and take the A1C test and understand. Living with BGs out of control really puts you at a higher risk. It may not happen in a month or a year, but down the road your body is really going to be affected by it.
When I first got diabetes, over the next few years I saw mood swings. I didn’t really understand it until I got a grip on taking care of myself, and I started taking Lantus and eating right. In hindsight, I look back and say, Oh my God, I was really bad! I was tired and emotional. I was always up and down. Later I understood the moodiness came from uncontrolled blood sugars, times my sugars would go very high or very low. It’s very common with diabetes.
It’s so important for people to educate themselves. Help yourself. Read a book. Go on the Internet. Visit a nutritionist. Exercise. Monitor your blood sugar every day. Get your A1C checked every three months. This is something that is not going to just go away. And don’t expect to be perfect every day.
My mom had diabetes. My grandfather died from it. My aunt on my mom’s side had it. My grandmother on my father’s side died when I was young from diabetic complications. So, yes, I do have a family history.
I can’t say that I’m happy that I have diabetes. I can only say that having it, and being a TV personality gives me the opportunity to help other people save their lives. Maybe that’s why I have it. To help other people. It’s a very hard disease, and I hope they come up with a cure.
Turturro has regained control of her health and has made appearances in many feature films.She didn’t let either illness affect her career.
Aida Turturro’s film credits include:
Martin Scorsese’s “Bringing Out the Dead”
John Turturro’s “Romance and Cigarettes”
Woody Allen’s “Celebrity” and “Manhattan Murder Mystery”
Other film credits include:
“Sidewalks of New York”
“Mickey Blue Eyes”
“Deep Blue Sea”
“Sleepers”